N&W in 1903 -- Narrows Branch

[NW Mailing List]

Did the branch actually go between Narrows in Giles County and Saltville in  
Smyth/Washington Counties? That's quite a distance, and I was not aware that  
there ever was such a branch.
 
John Carnahan
Columbus, OH
 
In a message dated 1/2/2008 3:36:13 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org writes:

Quoting  NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>:

It seems thee were  more than one of the former Ry bridges still in use in the
60's.  We  would ride our bikes to Rocky Gap from Narrows pretty 
regularly.   The
road on the former Ry right-of-way made for minimal effort with its  
virtual lack
of grades.  Several of us got our Boy Scout Bicycling  Merit Badges riding 
back
and forth from Narrows to Rocky Gap. 

Ed  Painter - Narrows, VA (Currently Russellville, AR)


>>    *

>   *

>

>   This road crossed Wolf  creek in my Grandmother’s (Honaker)

> front field, in Rocky Gap  Va.  The thru truss bridge carried the Rt. 

> 61 road to Narrows  until it was rebuilt in the 90’s.  I’m

> not sure if the bridge is  still standing, I’ll have to jump off

> I77 at Rocky Gap next time I’m  up that way to check. 

>

>   R.D.  Williams

>

> -------------------------

>

>    FROM: nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org

>  [mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] ON BEHALF OF NW Mailing

>  List

> SENT: Wednesday, January 02, 2008 11:44 AM

> TO: N&W  Mailing 1List

> SUBJECT: N&W in 1903 -- Narrows  Branch

>

>   SURVEYING FOR RAILROAD UP WOLF  CREEK

>

>                   ------

>

>       Capt. W. L. Umberger [__??  blurred; best estimate__], the civil

> engineer in charge of the  surveyors at work on Wolf Creek, running a

> line up that watercourse  from Narrows to Saltville was in the city

> yesterday.  He said the  construction of the road is practically

> assured.  This road will  open up a section of Virginia rich in

> material resources.  In the  territory there are many thousands of

> acres of fine timber, much of it  hardwood, iron ore and coal and

> other minerals are found in large  quantities. 

>

>   Bluefield Daily  Telegraph

>

>   May 21, 1903

>

>    [__This line was built as the standard-gauge New River, Holston and

>  Western Railroad Co., and it had been extended in stages  from  its

> connection with the N&W at Narrows, VA, to Rocky Gap, VA, 20.6  miles,

> when the N&W acquired the company in December 1912.   But, it continued

> to operate as the NRH&W, and was extended 14  miles to Suiter, VA. in

> 1914.  A 1915 schedule shows a passenger  train each way the full

> length of the line.  On June 1, 1919, the  NRH&W became the N&W's

> Narrows Branch, but it never reached  Saltville.  In 1942 the 4.13

> miles between Suiter and Bastian was  abandoned, and in 1946 the

> remainder of the branch was  abandoned.  I remember reading long ago

> that the principal  argument of the protesters at the abandonment

> hearing was that the  abandonment of the railroad would deprive the

> local governments of the  tax revenue from the railroad that was

> needed to pay for the paved  road that put the railroad out of

> business!  __]

>

>   Gordon  Hamilton



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